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Top 10 Interview Tips From Our Recruiters

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Unsure about the best ways to land a job?

Below are the top 10 job interview tips from the Gartner recruitment team.

  1. Prepare. This was the most agreed-upon piece of advice among our recruiters. It’s so easy these days to take an hour or two to research Gartner on our website, Glassdoor, LinkedIn, etc. to learn useful and relevant information to discuss. Make sure that you completely understand the position that you’re applying for and can articulate how your past experiences will help you succeed. The more prepared you are for an interview the less nervous and more focused you’ll be!
  2. Ask thoughtful questions. This is a great way to demonstrate your preparation and intellectual curiosity. We want to be challenged during the interview too; it gets old to be asked only about the compensation and benefits package. We like to see that you took the initiative to come up with some questions to show your interest in Gartner and the role.
  3. Try to keep your resume to one page, two pages maximum (International CV’s max of 3 pages). Recruiters don’t want to take the time to read a novel about your whole professional background. Keep your resume as succinct as possible and be sure to show your quantifiable successes to set you apart from your peers.
  4. Leverage your connections. With LinkedIn, it’s quite possible that you’ll have someone in your network that works for Gartner or can introduce you to someone who does. Use those connections to get an insider’s view of the company. If you aren’t connected with anyone at Gartner, still feel free to reach out to someone that you would potentially be working with in your desired job; we value individuals that take the initiative to connect with us.
  5. Show your interest and reach out to us personally. Be creative in showing your interest in the role. We love personalized phone calls or emails, it shows us that you’re a human instead of just a resume and also highlights your persistence and drive.
  6. Make sure your background truly aligns with the position and customize your resume accordingly. One of the biggest red flags among our recruiters is seeing candidates whose backgrounds don’t align with the role that they’re applying for. Make sure that you understand the position before applying and highlight how your past experiences correlates to the role description.
  7. Use all avenues — including our social media outlets and websites like LinkedIn and Glassdoor to get the full picture of Gartner. Almost all of our recruiters credit the research they did on Gartner outside of gartner.com as helping them during their own job interviews. Glassdoor and LinkedIn give great supplemental information on our culture and interview process to help you best prepare for your own interviews.141027_1167
  8. If you’re going to interview with us, make the time for it. A common red flag is when candidates who schedule phone interviews during their commutes, answer phones during an in-person interview (never do this!), or constantly reschedule. If you’re going to schedule an interview with us then set aside the proper time for it and avoid being flaky.
  9. Utilize LinkedIn! LinkedIn is one of the greatest recruiting tools out there and you’re only hurting yourself if you don’t utilize it properly. It’s the first thing that a recruiter will look at after reading your resume so keep your profile up to date and filled out with pertinent information that sets you apart from your peers. It especially stands out when candidates have endorsements or recommendations on their profiles and have a catchy headline illustrating what they’re interested in pursuing.
  10. Maintain consistency throughout the interview process. When a sourcer puts you through to the next round, it’s common for them to give you some feedback and coach you on what to improve on for the next interview. However, don’t take this to mean that you should change your answers to certain questions or make up stories to fit a certain profile. Make use of our advice, but maintain a consistent style and approach: We will definitely notice if you begin to give different answers.

Interested in working at Gartner? Check out our open positions.

18 Responses to “Top 10 Interview Tips From Our Recruiters”

  2. Alyse Nicastro

    Hello Gartner Team,

    Thanks so much for your feedback on the do’s and don’ts of a Gartner interview. I hope to be speaking with a member of your team shortly and wish everyone a Happy New Year.

    Sincerely,

    Alyse Nicastro

    January 6, 2015 at 1:28 am
    Reply
  6. Kate Uhry

    Thank you especially for tip #5. In this age of automatic search strings and deep black holes of applications, it’s nice to be encouraged to reach out to the person who is putting time and effort into finding the perfect candidate. Hello recruiters! Have a great day and hope (someday) to meet you in an interview…

    May 18, 2015 at 11:28 pm
    Reply
  7. Tal Muscat

    I am meeting the recruiting team tomorrow. So far I have had pleasant and informative conversations with my contacts at Gartner. I am looking forward to learning more about the mutually beneficial relationship that could arise!

    July 23, 2015 at 3:27 am
    Reply
  8. Marlene

    Thank you so much for sharing this information with us. I was a little concern for have taken the initiative to reach out to the recruiters. I am glad that you love personal emails and phone calls, and that we are more than a resume.
    Keep up the good job!

    August 24, 2015 at 4:05 pm
    Reply
  9. Kabilan

    Hello Gartner team,

    This blog definitely helps the applicants to understand the big picture on how interview process works at Gartner. Thank you for the useful tips.

    Regards,
    Kabilan

    June 9, 2016 at 8:09 pm
    Reply
  10. Ben Blair

    Hello Gartner team,

    Thank you for the great information. I met with part of your team at NCSC in Atlanta. I have had nothing but great experiences with you so far and have a second interview tomorrow! I am looking forward to progressing through the interview process with you!

    Thank you!
    -Ben Blair

    April 13, 2017 at 5:20 am
    Reply
  14. Shikhar Chatrath

    This is a really valuable resource and I am especially impressed with the candid and honest advice here. Something as simple as making time for an interview and not being flaky with scheduling goes a long way to demonstrate not just a candidate’s seriousness and interest in the role but also goes to show how they prioritize in their professional life. I also appreciate the encouragement to learn about Gartner from all perspectives and through different avenues. This can be crucial in getting a sense of not just the organization but also in understanding whether a fit exists between the candidate and Gartner.

    Thank you,

    – Shikhar

    October 6, 2018 at 5:22 pm
    Reply

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